The field hockey team's seniors completed a four-year sweep of Colby on Saturday, winning the last season opener of their careers at Bill Alfond Field in Waterville, Maine, 3-1.
While the two most recent Opening Day wins have come on the backs of the team's younger players - two goals from then-freshman Tess Jasinski in 2005 and two from then-sophomore Marlee Kutcher in 2006 - this one was courtesy of its veterans.
Despite the presence of nine freshmen on the roster, including Jess Perkins, who scored her first collegiate goal on Saturday, upperclassmen filled all the spots in front of rookie goalkeeper Kate Hyder. Senior co-captain Ileana Casellas-Katz scored two goals, and her game-winner was assisted by classmate Corey Green.
"Now that I'm in my fourth season, I feel like the program is where I want it to be and [the upperclassmen] have come up in that system," coach Tina McDavitt said. "I like that the freshmen come in and are fighting for starting positions, and Jess' goal was beautiful, but it's great to be able to rely on your juniors and seniors like we did [on Saturday]."
Like last year's Opening Day contest at Bello Field, Colby struck first. Senior Mary Clare Snediker, the Mules' leading scorer last season, sent back a rebound off Hyder's pads for a 1-0 lead.
"We came out a little flat; I don't know if it was nerves or what, but we got a little messed up and they got one by us," McDavitt said. "The next 65 minutes weren't anything like those first five."
The Jumbos played their way back from a 1-0 deficit against the Mules last season, responding with four goals to win the 2006 opener. On Saturday, they came up with three unanswered goals, but it was more than enough.
Casellas-Katz scored off a tip from sophomore Michelle Kelly at the 11:53 mark to tie the game at one, where it remained through halftime.
The game-winner came three minutes into the second half, when Green found Casellas-Katz at the left post. Perkins added an unassisted direct-shot goal with 15:20 remaining for her first collegiate goal.
The Jumbos got all of their goals off penalty corners, returning to an offensive strategy that served them well last year. Nearly half of the team's 35 goals in 2006 came off penalty corners. That well-rehearsed routine still works, it seems, despite the departure of striker Stacey Watkins, who either scored or assisted nine of those goals.
This year, the Jumbos are at least two-deep at key corner roles. Juniors Marlee Kutcher, who handled hit-in duties last year, will split time with classmate Brittany Holiday. Sophomore Emma Kozumbo was the stick-stopper on Saturday, and junior Tess Jasinski and sophomore Margi Scholtes took over Watkins' role as striker.
"Our focus has been that it doesn't matter who's on the field at the moment, because we have more than one person that can do everything," Casellas-Katz said. "People like Tess and Margi were ready [last year] to move into those roles, and they've stepped up."
That depth was the rationale for the team's new look on Saturday. McDavitt opted for a 3-2-3-2 setup instead of the 3-3-3-1 the team used last year.
"I thought about [using the setup] last season, but [Watkins] was such a strong player, and I wanted her to step up in that center back role," said McDavitt, who became familiar with the system when she played at Boston University. "This year, we have more of an across-the-board strength instead of one standout go-to girl. It's working well; the girls are combining more, and they're pushing up and dropping back more as a unit."
The Jumbos now turn their attention to Wednesday's game against non-league Wellesley. It's easy to look past the Blue - especially with conference rival and nationally ranked Middlebury on the schedule for Saturday - but this year's Jumbos know better. A 2-1 loss to Wellesley in 2006 added one too many losses to the Jumbos' record, which likely kept them from an at-large NCAA bid.
"We know that game affected our postseason, and all the upperclassmen have tried to instill in the freshmen how important that game was," Pagos said. "When it comes down to November, a win is a win and we're ready to get one on Wednesday."
